Gomaya: 25 definitions
Introduction:
Gomaya means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow-dung” representing one of the five Pañcagavya (five cow-products), as defined in the Śivapurāṇa 1.16. Accordingly, “[...] the ceremonial ablution of the phallic emblem (liṅga) with Pañcagavya on Sundays is specially recommended. Pañcagavya is the compound of cow’s urine (gojala), dung (gomaya), milk (kṣīra), curd (dadhi) and ghee (ājya). Milk, curd and ghee can severally be used with honey and molasses. The offering of rice cooked in cow’s milk must be made with the syllable Om”.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexGomaya (गोमय).—Cowdung as disinfectant.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 7. 431; 13. 130.
Gomaya (गोमय) represents the food taken in the month Āṣāḍha for the Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī-Vrata, according to the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—Accordingly, the Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī-vrata is observed in honour of Śiva. [...] It starts from the month of Mārgaśira. It is observed on the eighth tithi of the dark fortnight and for a year.—In Āṣāḍha, food is gomaya, the deity is Ugra result is eight times that of śautrāmaṇi.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Source: Wisdom Library: ŚaivismGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow-dung”. It is one of the six products of the cow, used in the worshop of the liṅga (known as goṣaḍaṅgavidhi), according to the Śivadharmottarapurāṇa
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Source: Google Books: Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences (Astronomy)Gomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow-dung”, according to the Ghaṭikāyantraghaṭanāvidhi, an unpublished manuscript describing the ritual connected with the setting up of the water clock and its invocation.—Accordingly, “[...] Now the characteristics of the ground on which the water clock is to be set up. On a ground, sloped to the east and north, which has been smeared with cow-dung [i.e., gomaya], a vessel called kuṇḍa, faultless (avraṇa) and auspicious, should be placed ... upon grains of rice and should be encircled with thread dyed in saffron; then it should be filled with clear water. The water clock (i.e. the bowl) should be placed on the placid water in the basin, when the Sun’s orb is half visible, after worshipping Gaṇeśa and the Sun, and after bowing to the teacher and to the personal deity. [...]”.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Source: Google Books: ManthanabhairavatantramGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow dung”, according to the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā, an expansion of the Kubjikāmatatantra: the earliest popular and most authoritative Tantra of the Kubjikā cult.—Accordingly, “[...] One should make a level canopy [i.e., maṇḍapa] measuring sixteen (handspans) in a frightening forest, [...] O fair-faced one, one should then smear that place with the dung of a brown cow [i.e., kapilā-gomaya] mixed with liquor. (The place) should abound with the fragrance of perfumed water and be fumigated with sandalwood and aloe. There, one should fashion twenty-four circles. One should fashion them in groups of six in the east, north, west, and south in the sequence in which worship takes place (of the sacred seats)”.
Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Source: ORA: Amanaska (king of all yogas): A Critical Edition and Annotated Translation by Jason BirchGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow-dung”, according to the Haṭhapradīpikā 3.90.—Accordingly, “Pure ashes, which were produced by burning cow-dung (gomaya), [should first be] placed in water. After having sex in which Vajrolī Mudrā [was performed], the woman and man, who are sitting comfortably and have finished love making, [should] immediately smear their own bodies [with the ashes mixed with water]
Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
Ayurveda (science of life)
Toxicology (Study and Treatment of poison)
Source: Shodhganga: Kasyapa Samhita—Text on Visha ChikitsaGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow dung”, and is used in the treatment of Rājilā-snake-bites, according to the Kāśyapa Saṃhitā: an ancient Sanskrit text from the Pāñcarātra tradition dealing with both Tantra and Viṣacikitsā—an important topic from Āyurveda which deals with the study of Toxicology (Viṣavidyā or Sarpavidyā).—The tenth Adhyāya prescribes antidotes for Rājilā snake venom.—According to the Kāśyapasaṃhitā verse X.4: “An immediate and quick antidote to Rajāli viṣa is drinking a mouthful of salt, long pepper, cardamom, honey, cow dung (gomaya) and ghee”.
Agriculture (Krishi) and Vrikshayurveda (study of Plant life)
Source: Shodhganga: Drumavichitrikarnam—Plant mutagenesis in ancient IndiaGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow dung”, and is used in certain bio-organical recipes for plant mutagenesis, such as dwarfing a plant, according to the Vṛkṣāyurveda by Sūrapāla (1000 CE): an encyclopedic work dealing with the study of trees and the principles of ancient Indian agriculture.—Accordingly, “A plant which is not too tender should be cut at its stem and then slightly burnt. Thereafter it should be smeared with the mixture of clarified butter, cow dung (gomaya), rock salt, honey and flesh. A nail should then be driven in the root in a slanting manner. The plant then should be watered beautiful branches and without fail produces fruits even in a dwarf state”.
Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow-dung”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XXXII-XXXIV).—Accordingly, “When one is making fire by friction, first the flame takes fire on the soft grass and dried cow dung (śuṣka-gomaya) and, as the strength of the fire increases, it is able to consume big pieces of moist wood. It is the same for the concentration of loving-kindness (maitrī-samādhi): at the beginning, when one make the vows for loving-kindness, one applies them only to one’s friends; but when the mind of loving-kindness has grown, enemies and relatives become mixed up and one sees them all as experiencing happiness: this is because the dhyānas or samāpattis of loving-kindness have grown and are becoming complete”.
Source: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on AgricultureGomaya (गोमय) refers to “(liquid) cow-dung”, according to the 2nd-century Meghasūtra (“Cloud Sutra”) in those passages which contain ritual instructions.—Accordingly, “He who desires a mighty rain must perform this rite ‘the great-cloud-circle’ in an open space, overspread by a blue canopy, shaded by a blue banner, on a clear spot of earth; [...] then the prophet of the Law, after having painted towards the four quarters with liquid cow-dung (gomaya—gomayena rasena) on a reed, in the eastern quarter three hastas high must depict the snake-king called Triśīrṣaka, with cow-dung: in the southern quarter him called Pañcaśīrṣaka five hastas high; in the western, seven hastas high, Saptaśīrṣaka; in the northern, Navaśīrṣaka, nine hastas high. [...]”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara SamadhiGomaya (गोमय) refers to “cow dung”, according to the purification (śodhana) of the Pañcagavya (five cow products) ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “[...] Oṃ purified with conch-water Hūṃ. [Give water to patrons.] Cow urine, cow dung (gomaya), milk, curd, ghee, holy grass, (and) water, The forementioned Pañcagavya and holy grass purifies the body. Oṃ purified with conch-water Hūṃ. [Give water again]”.
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionarygomaya : (nt.) cow-dung.
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionarygōmaya (गोमय).—n m S Cowdung. Ex. śuddha karuniyā gōmaya- gōḷa || mṛttikākaṇavirahita ||.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishgōmaya (गोमय).—n m Cowdung.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryGomaya (गोमय).—a.
1) Consisting of cattle; य उदाजन् पितरो गोमयं वसु (ya udājan pitaro gomayaṃ vasu) Ṛgveda 1.62.2.
2) Defiled with cow-dung.
-yaḥ, -yam Cow-dung.
-yam Cowdung cake; उपलशकलमेतद्भेदकं गोमयानाम् (upalaśakalametadbhedakaṃ gomayānām) Mu.3.15.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryGomaya (गोमय).—(?) , m., offal, refuse, if this word is intended in Mahāvastu ii.65.7 gomayo ti (so Senart for mss. gometi) kṛtvā na siddhā, thinking it was offal, I did not prepare it as food; followed by, kumāro āha, na eṣā godhā abhakṣyā, bhakṣyā eṣā manuṣyāṇāṃ. As Senart remarks, this seems a strange use of gomaya, and I share his suspicion of the reading, but can suggest no good emendation.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryGomaya (गोमय).—mn.
(-yaḥ-yaṃ) 1. Cowdung. 2. The property or nature of a cow. E. go a cow, and mayaṭ affix of relation or comprehension.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryGomaya (गोमय).—[go + maya], m. and n. Cowdung, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 3, 206.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryGomaya (गोमय).—[adjective] consisting of cattle; [neuter] (often [plural]) [masculine] cow-dung.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Gomaya (गोमय):—[=go-maya] [from go] a mfn. consisting of cattle, [Ṛg-veda x, 62, 2]
2) [v.s. ...] defiled with cow-dung, [Rāmāyaṇa ii, v]
3) [v.s. ...] n. often [plural], rarely m. ([gana] ardharcādi) cow-dung, [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa xii; Āśvalāyana-gṛhya-sūtra; Kauśika-sūtra; Gobhila-śrāddha-kalpa; Manu-smṛti] etc.
4) [v.s. ...] n. dung, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā lv, 30]
5) [=go-maya] [from go] b (for the sake of euphony shortened for yaya), [Nominal verb] [Parasmaipada] yati, to smear with (cow-dung), [Dhātupāṭha xxxv, 24.]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryGomaya (गोमय):—[(yaḥ-yaṃ)] 1. m. n. Cow-dung; property or nature of a cow.
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusGōmaya (ಗೋಮಯ):—[noun] the excrement of a cow; cow-dung.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+5): Gomayacchatra, Gomayacchatrika, Gomayacchattra, Gomayacchattrika, Gomayachatra, Gomayachatrika, Gomayachchhatra, Gomayachchhatrika, Gomayachhatra, Gomayaghrishta, Gomayakarshi, Gomayalepana, Gomayamaya, Gomayambhas, Gomayana, Gomayanyaya, Gomayapayasiya, Gomayapayasiyanyayavat, Gomayapriya, Gomayarasa.
Ends with: Aranyagomaya, Dagdhagomaya, Haritagomaya, Kapilagomaya, Mridgomaya, Sagomaya, Shushkagomaya, Vajragomaya.
Full-text (+44): Gomayapriya, Gomayottha, Gomayodbhava, Gomayacchatra, Gomayachatra, Gomayakarshi, Karshi, Gomayapayasiya, Cow-dung, Gomayamaya, Gomayacchattrika, Gomayacchattra, Gomayapayasiyanyayavat, Gom, Gomayambhas, Gomayachatrika, Gaumaya, Gaumathika, Haritagomaya, Gomayay.
Relevant text
Search found 19 books and stories containing Gomaya, Gōmaya, Go-maya; (plurals include: Gomayas, Gōmayas, mayas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Sanskrit sources of Kerala history (by Suma Parappattoli)
1.4. The 64 Villages in Kerala Mahatmya < [Chapter 2 - Historical details from Mahatmyas and Prashastis]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 4.2.13 < [Chapter 2 - The Story of the Gopīs That Had Been Sages]
Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 11.212 < [Section XXIX - Description of the Expiatory Penances]
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Rig Veda 10.62.2 < [Sukta 62]
Vedic influence on the Sun-worship in the Puranas (by Goswami Mitali)
Sun-worship Vratas (15) Gomayādi-saptamī < [Chapter 5 - Rituals Related to the Sun-Worship in the Purāṇas]
Charaka Samhita (English translation) (by Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society)
Chapter 12 - Prognosis from Powder resembling Cow-dung Powder (gomaya-curna) < [Indriyasthana (Indriya Sthana) — Section on Sensorial Prognosis]
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